How GIS Has Changed Our World

Aviation gasoline, commonly referred to as avgas, is a leaded fuel used in aircraft. A study used GIS to explore the impact of avgas on levels in the blood of children near airports in North Carolina. The FAA is looking at regulations on the gas.

The study used GIS to approximate areas surrounding airports in which lead from avgas may be present in elevated concentrations in air and may also be deposited to soil. Then using regression analysis, the researchers examined the relationship between residential proximity to airports and blood lead surveillance data in children aged 9 months to 7 years while controlling for factors including age of housing, socioeconomic characteristics, and seasonality.

The results suggest higher levels in the blood for children up to 1000M from the airport has the most pronounced effect within 500M.